Activists Across Virginia Rally Against Gov. Youngkin’s Repeal of Popular RGGI Program

In four rallies, activists deliver suppressed public comments previously submitted to Virginia DEQ in support of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

 

RICHMOND, VA: Yesterday, scores of activists across Virginia rallied against Governor Glenn Youngkin’s plan to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In Richmond, Norfolk, Woodbridge, and Blacksburg, crowds of concerned Virginians spoke up for the popular and highly beneficial program, which has already generated more than $624 million for flood resilience and energy efficiency programs across the Commonwealth.[1]

Analysis from the Southern Environmental Law Center shows that 88% of Virginians who submitted public comments expressed support for RGGI. But when Youngkin’s government reviewed those public comments, they ignored a vast majority of the pro-RGGI comments, classifying them as “off-topic.” 

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

In Woodbridge, more than 30 activists broadcast audio of the Youngkin administration calling pro-RGGI comments “off-topic,” then delivered suppressed comments to the regional Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) office. They also displayed them on signs for the public to see, and read them aloud, before singing together: “The tide is rising and so are we.”

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Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, stated: “The simple truth is that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has been overwhelmingly successful in reducing air pollution in Virginia and regionally; it has continuously overperformed by creating hundreds of millions of dollars every year for essential programs that deliver results to Virginians who need them most; and it is an indispensable tool in our fight against climate change. RGGI just works – it works to protect our coasts and low-lying areas from flooding, to keep Virginians in their homes, and to drive down energy bills for low-income Virginians. Without RGGI, Governor Youngkin has no plan to deliver these life-saving programs to Virginians. We will fight back against his illegitimate, anti-democratic, anti-scientific agenda at every chance we get.”

Jordan Seurattan, Northern Virginia Organizer with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, stated: “The people have spoken time and again, but Governor Youngkin won’t listen. Governor Youngkin believes he can gaslight us into believing that RGGI is harmful for Virginia, when in reality it’s his policies that are hurting our communities. When people in power use their position to put polluters first, it’s up to us to hold them accountable. That’s why we are here today. To tell Youngkin that he’s not fooling us, and Virginian’s deserve better.” 

 

 

 

RICHMOND

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Meanwhile, in Richmond, steps away from the Governor’s Mansion, Mayor Levar Stoney and City Council Member Katherine Jordan joined the call for Youngkin to stop his unlawful efforts to kneecap Virginia’s biggest climate adaptation program.

 

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney related a personal experience: “Folks who are living hand-to-mouth, who are living paycheck to paycheck…these funds are going to help with upgrades to make their homes more energy efficient, let it help them cool or heat their homes. People like my grandmother are living paycheck to paycheck on a fixed income. It’s hard to afford a day’s living on a fixed income. These dollars would help people like my grandmother, grandmothers all across not just the city of Richmond but the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

 

 

Photo by Jen Lawhorne, Appalachian Voices

NORFOLK

Down in Norfolk, community members were joined by Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan to rally virtually in the face of thunderstorms and discuss the benefits of RGGI in Norfolk, where the RGGI-backed Community Flood Preparedness Fund has funded a flood protection system.view?usp=sharing

 

Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan stated: “RGGI is a drop in the bucket and if we can’t save this, how are we going to find funding for everything we need to do?”view

Mary-Carson Stiff, Director of Wetlands Watch, stated: “This is the only source of grant funding for flood preparedness and climate adaptation in Virginia. It’s it. The proceeds are consistent and reliable, which our communities need so they can plan to apply and then continue applying for years to come.” 

BLACKSBURG 

And in Blacksburg, 15 protesters gathered bearing colorful signs and t-shirts to make their voices loud and clear and spread the word about support for RGGI.

view?usp=sharingPhoto from Chesapeake Climate Action Network

The New River Valley Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America stated: “Governor Youngkin’s decision to remove Virginia from the RGGI will have lasting consequences for southwest Virginians and the mountains they love. We needed to organize this rally to make sure Virginia voters understand what we stand to lose without action on climate.”

 

The four rallies were organized by Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Appalachian Voices, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Sierra Club – Falls of the James Chapter, Third Act Virginia, and Virginia League of Conservation Voters.

Broad Coalition Urges Biden Administration to Expand Offshore Wind Maps

Coalition states: “We are proposing a win-win solution that would nearly double the acreage available for offshore wind”


ANNAPOLIS, MD—Today, a coalition of unions, developers, justice organizations, and climate organizations sent a joint public letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) urging the agency to expand the areas designated for offshore wind in the Central Atlantic.

BOEM is in the process of finalizing new maps for offshore wind development in the region, and has proposed new leasing areas that are too small to meet the region’s offshore wind mandates. A coalition of advocates have proposed an alternative map that would nearly double the new leasing area for offshore wind while meeting the needs of all other ocean users.

The letter includes, in part:

“BOEM estimates that, as currently proposed, the new Central Atlantic lease areas would accommodate between 4 and 8 gigawatts of offshore wind. Even taking the upper estimate of this range, the lease areas cannot accommodate the offshore wind needed in this region. Virginia is required by law to build 5.2 gigawatts of offshore wind. North Carolina must build 8 gigawatts of offshore wind, and Maryland just passed a law to build 8.5 gigawatts. Some of that energy can come from existing lease areas, but to meet those targets set in law, those three states need more than 11 gigawatts of offshore wind in the new lease areas. On top of that, Delaware is also reliant on the Central Atlantic for its offshore wind energy, and while it is not currently building any, it is expected to pass its first offshore wind legislation in 2024.

Offshore wind is vital to our future. It holds the promise of affordable, clean energy that creates hundreds of good union jobs and reduces air pollution. Limiting offshore wind comes with costs. It means fewer jobs, worse pollution, and a less affordable and reliable transition to a clean energy economy. While there are other ocean users whose needs must be accommodated, we are proposing a win-win solution that would nearly double the acreage available for offshore wind in the Central Atlantic while not reducing the width or number of Coast Guards fairways and while not encroaching on ocean space conflicted with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). We hope BOEM will expand the space available for offshore wind in the Central Atlantic by adopting the map [provided].”

Click HERE to read the letter in full.

Coalition signers include: Advanced Energy United ● Audubon Mid-Atlantic ● Baltimore-DC Metro Building and Construction Trades Council ● Business Network for Offshore Wind ● CASA ● Chesapeake Climate Action Network ● Climate Law & Policy Project ● Climate Reality Greater Maryland ● Elders Climate Action Maryland ● Environmental Justice Ministry Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church ● IBEW Local Union 24 ● Indivisible Howard County ● Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake ● Ironworkers Mid-Atlantic States District Council ● MAREC Action ● Maryland LCV ● Maryland Legislative Coalition ● MLC Climate Justice Wing ● NAACP Maryland State Conference, Environmental and Climate Justice Committee ● Strum Contracting Company Inc. ● Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice Ministry ● United Steelworkers District 8

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change  in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Federal court stays Mountain Valley Pipeline’s biological opinion again

Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit issued a stay of the biological opinion and incidental take statement under the Endangered Species Act for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The court’s order staying these authorizations means that construction should not move forward along any portion of the 304-mile pipeline route. The federal appeals court has already twice rejected the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s prior authorizations for the pipeline project, finding that the agency failed to adequately analyze the project’s environmental context when assessing the detrimental impacts to the Roanoke logperch and the candy darter, a species on the brink of extinction.

Yesterday, the federal court also granted a stay of the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to allow the pipeline to be constructed through the Jefferson National Forest while the court considers The Wilderness Society’s challenge to that decision. The Wilderness Society is represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The motion to stay the biological opinion was filed by lawyers from the Sierra Club, Appalachian Mountain Advocates and Center for Biological Diversity on behalf of Appalachian Voices, Wild Virginia, Indian Creek Watershed Association, Preserve Bent Mountain, Preserve Giles County, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity. Mountain Valley Pipeline and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service argued to the court that it lacked jurisdiction to issue the stay under provisions inserted into the Fiscal Responsibility Act about the pipeline. In issuing the stay, the 4th Circuit appears to have rejected that argument.

The following are statements from the petitioners:

Statement by Virginia Policy Director Peter Anderson of Appalachian Voices:
“This stay is necessary to prevent the irreparable harm that would be caused by allowing Mountain Valley Pipeline to resume construction while important legal issues are decided. We are pleased that the 4th Circuit seems to recognize that Congress overreached with its Mountain Valley Pipeline provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.”

Statement by Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous:
“Congress’s unprecedented end run around the courts attempted to forgo proper checks and balances and declare the sinking ship that is the MVP a winner. This, as we know, was wrong from the start. Congress cannot mandate that federal regulators throw caution to the wind — environmental laws are more than just mere suggestions, and must be adhered to. We expect MVP to halt all construction along the entire route.”

Statement of Anne Havemann, General Counsel, Chesapeake Climate Action Network:
“This ill-conceived pipeline poses serious threats to animals, plants, and people. This is the third time this court has found fatal flaws in Mountain Valley’s Endangered Species Act permit. Regulators that are supposed to protect the environment have once again failed and construction should be halted along the entire route.”

Statement of David Sligh, Wild Virginia’s Conservation Director:
“All we’ve ever asked is that our basic environmental protection laws, including the Endangered Species Act, be enforced. Federal officials have not yet lived up to that basic requirement on this project and the courts have had to step in. Construction on this harmful project must be ended now. ”

Statement of Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity:
“This decision shows that corporations with deep pockets and political influence aren’t above the law. The court stepped up to protect imperiled wildlife and sensitive streams from a disastrous project that should never be built.”

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.chesapeakeclimate.org

Environmental and Community Groups Challenge Effort to Throw Out Mountain Valley Pipeline Lawsuit

RICHMOND, VA — Late Monday, environmental and community organizations filed a response opposing efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice and Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, to dismiss the environmental groups’ pending challenge to the latest biological opinion and incidental take statement under the Endangered Species Act for the ill-advised Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Also on Monday, the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of The Wilderness Society filed a response in another MVP case opposing motions to dismiss a challenge to authorizations for the project to cross the Jefferson National Forest.

The motions to dismiss the groups’ challenges follow the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which seeks to expedite the nonessential Mountain Valley Pipeline, enshrining congressional overreach over the courts and setting a dangerous precedent that could encourage future congressional action to force through other controversial fossil fuel projects.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit has already twice rejected the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s prior authorizations for the pipeline project, finding that the agency failed to adequately analyze the project’s environmental context when assessing the detrimental impacts to the Roanoke logperch and the candy darter, a species on the brink of extinction.

The FRA has led MVP to gear up to resume construction along the pipeline’s route.

The response was filed by lawyers from the Sierra Club, Appalachian Mountain Advocates and Center for Biological Diversity on behalf of Wild Virginia, Appalachian Voices, Indian Creek Watershed Association, Preserve Bent Mountain, Preserve Giles County, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity.

“Appalachian communities, water resources, and species should not be subject to political whims and unprecedented congressional interference,” said Peter Anderson, Virginia policy director for Appalachian Voices. “Courts must retain their power and responsibility to review our environmental protections from dangerous projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline.”

“Whatever happened to checks and balances?” asked Sierra Club Senior Campaign Representative Caroline Hansley. “Congress should never have overextended its powers to try to tell the courts how to do their jobs. When communities, climate, and habitats are at risk, there is just too much at stake.”

“In essence, Congress and the president have attempted to nullify the Endangered Species Act and the rights of Americans to be involved in their own government decisions — all to give a special deal to profit-making corporations,” said David Sligh, Wild Virginia’s conservation director. “This does violence to the Constitution, and we cannot accept it without challenge.”

“This is not a problem of Congress putting its thumb on the scale in favor of the government; instead Congress is attempting to throw out the scale entirely and unilaterally declare the government the winner,” said Anne Havemann, general counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Together, we have been fighting MVP for eight years and we won’t stop now.”

“Speaking on behalf of the endangered candy darter that once thrived in our creeks, something just smells fishy (and unconstitutional) about Congress passing a law that attempts to snuff out a valid lawsuit against a government agency simply by declaring the government the winner,” said Indian Creek Watershed Association President Howdy Henritz.

“Mountain Valley Pipeline is an environmental disaster that’s already caused significant harm to sensitive streams and imperiled wildlife,” said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s no way this pipeline could ever comply with bedrock environmental laws. Cronies in Congress are attempting to force this project through, ignoring the harms and giving a free ride to corporate interests. Congress should never have tried to undermine the court’s authority, and the pipeline should not be built.”

“Legislators seemed to forget that front and center of our ‘national interest’ is the social, physical and economic well being of our people — many of whom are environmental justice communities in the path of MVP’s aging pipe,” Roberta Bondurant of Preserve Bent Mountain, a local member group of the POWHR Coalition, said, “If ushered forward, MVP will continue to threaten our drinking water, our ever more fragile environment, and will pose sure and continuing risks to Appalachian life, limb and property — and this doesn’t speak to the global impacts of MVP methane. We refuse to be governed by the gas industry. We hold fast to our constitutional right to be heard.”

“From the beginning, MVP was rammed through, with federal agencies bowing to political pressure,” said SELC President and Executive Director DJ Gerken. “Now Congress has bowed to the developer’s interest too and tried to force the courts to get in line. With this challenge we, along with The Wilderness Society and other environmental and community groups, are standing up for our communities, our forests, and our right to seek justice from an independent court system. No one is above the law and the independent court system is the essential protector of our democracy. We continue to fight because it’s too dangerous not to.”

“Mountain Valley could not build their pipeline in compliance with the law, so they appealed to Congress to interfere with the courts, skirting both our legal system and Constitution,” said Chase Huntley, VP of Strategy and Policy at The Wilderness Society. “The MVP rider buried in the Fiscal Responsibility Act attempts to ram through the pipeline, forcing it onto communities who have spoken out against its devastating impacts for nearly a decade. Because bedrock environmental laws stood in the pipeline’s path, Mountain Valley convinced Congress to reach beyond its powers and decide in Mountain Valley’s favor, circumventing the courts. We’re fighting to make sure our challenge to the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management’s approvals for the pipeline to cross the Jefferson National Forest has its rightful day in court.”

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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.chesapeakeclimate.org

CCAN Calls Out Biden Administration’s Missed Opportunity for Climate Change Migrants

CCAN Calls Out Biden Administration’s Missed Opportunity for Climate Change Migrants

Washington, DC –  Last week, the Biden Administration did the bare minimum for climate change-affected migrant families, announcing the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador, Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Today, as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals holds a final hearing on Ramos v. Mayorkas, countless families affected by natural disasters fueled by climate change will remain in the shadows without legal protections from deportation. 

Statement from Quentin Scott, Federal Director for CCAN: 

“While the Biden Administration’s decision allows hundreds of thousands of TPS holders to breathe a sigh of relief, CCAN is disappointed in the Administration for not re-designating El Salvador, Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and excluding Guatemala, Pakistan, and other countries affected by climate change-impacted natural disasters. By linking climate change to Temporary Protected Status, we acknowledge the interdependence of environmental challenges and the humanitarian assistance required for affected communities. 

More than 15,000 CCAN supporters and other concerned residents nationwide stood up in support of protecting climate change migrants. The Administration passed up a moment to show real leadership and courage for climate change migrants –and now the fight for #TPSJustice and comprehensive immigration reform continues. TPS provides essential protection and support to climate change migrants, enabling them to rebuild their lives and contribute to their new communities.”
Quentin Scott
Federal Director, CCAN

Climate change migration is commonly associated with the future submergence of coastal cities; however, the truth is, people are already being forced to abandon their homes due to climate change. Thousands of Pakistani migrants displaced by recent deadly floods, which have left a third of the country underwater and nearly half a million people displaced, did not receive a TPS designation. 

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) provides vital protection for climate change migrants, granting them temporary legal status while residing in the U.S. However, the recent decision only benefits 337,000 climate migrant families who arrived by 2018, disregarding those who fled more recent climate disasters. 

By excluding these individuals, the Biden administration exposes them to the same crises that TPS recipients are shielded from, which is illogical. This missed opportunity highlights a lack of true leadership and courage. The pursuit for #TPSJustice persists, and President Biden can still take action by redesignating today.

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.chesapeakeclimate.org

Biden/McCarthy Debt Ceiling Agreement Betrays Virginia and Frontline Communities, Putting People and Climate at Risk

CCAN says: “We will not take this lying down. Our fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline is not over.”

Richmond, VA — Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to approve the debt ceiling agreement and against an amendment to remove provisions that fast-track approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The MVP is a proposed 303-mile fracked-gas pipeline that would run through West Virginia and southwest Virginia and result in as much carbon pollution annually as 26 coal-fired power plants. Its approval was inserted into the agreement as a political favor from President Joe Biden to Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) in return for his vote for the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. 

An amendment to remove the MVP provisions was introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the Senate and Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) in the House of Representatives, and supported by the entire Virginia Democratic delegation, but neither effort was successful. 

The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which now awaits the President’s signature, declares that completion of the MVP “is required in the national interest.” It requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to issue all permits within 21 days of the law’s enactment and hamstrings other government agencies, bypassing their long-established environmental review processes. Finally, it prohibits courts from reviewing all pending and future permits for MVP. The bill also undercuts the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), undermining decades of environmental protections. 

 Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), stated:  

“First, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Senator Kaine and Congresswoman McClellan for championing the effort to remove MVP from this bill. Today, we are grieving for the families in southwest Virginia who have fought this pipeline tooth and nail for eight years. Their home should not be sacrificed as a political favor. We are grieving for ourselves, and especially our young people, for whom this represents a huge step backwards in our urgent fight against climate change. Their future should not be a bargaining chip. And we are grieving for our lands and waters, cherished places which will now be less protected.

But let us be clear: more than anything, we are furious. We feel betrayed by the Biden administration, who transparently traded the people and land of Southwest Virginia for a vote. The President’s commitment to climate and environmental justice is merely rhetoric if he continues to approve massive new fossil fuel infrastructure and reduce and sidestep community and judicial review. We’re equally furious at the Republicans who threatened to drive our economy off the cliff to pursue their political ends. We will not take this lying down. Our fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline is not over.”

Chesapeake Climate Action Network has been involved in the fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline since 2015 through organizing and legal action. With our partners, CCAN successfully defeated attempts to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Chickahominy Gas Plant and Pipeline in Virginia, as well as numerous other fossil fuel infrastructure projects.

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For more than 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

NextEra to Drop Methane Gas Assets, Signaling Critical Threat to Mountain Valley Pipeline

CCAN says: “MVP’s other investors would be wise to come to the same conclusion”

Richmond, VA — On Tuesday, NextEra Energy, Inc. announced that it will drop all of its methane gas assets by 2025 and focus exclusively on renewable energy investments. NextEra is currently a major investor in the long-delayed Mountain Valley Pipeline, a proposed 303-mile fracked gas pipeline through Virginia and West Virginia that would contribute the equivalent of 26 coal plants’ worth of carbon emissions.

The news comes a year after NextEra took an $800 million impairment charge for its stake in the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in West Virginia. These losses are not unique to NextEra. Equitrans Midstream, MVP’s largest investor, recorded a $329 million net loss in 2022 and a whopping $1.5 billion net loss in 2021, all attributable to impairment charges associated with MVP. NextEra has a 31% interest in the MVP project. 

NextEra executives pointed to recently passed federal incentives for renewable energy through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act as motivation for this change in their investment portfolio. While they announced their intentions to sell existing pipelines, it is unclear what the impact may be for their investment in the incomplete and wildly over-budget MVP. 

 Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), stated:  

“The fossil-fuel chickens have come home to roost for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Global, federal, and state level policy in our region all point to the same truth: the methane gas industry is not long for this world. MVP’s other investors would be wise to come to the same conclusion as NextEra and abandon their investment in a soon-to-be obsolete market for the good of their business as well as our people and planet.”

Chesapeake Climate Action Network has been involved in the fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline since 2015 through organizing and legal action. With our partners, CCAN successfully defeated attempts to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Chickahominy Gas Plant and Pipeline in Virginia, as well as numerous other fossil fuel infrastructure projects.

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For more than 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

CCAN Applauds EPA’s New Carbon Rules As A Step Towards Climate Justice

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to tighten restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel power plants. EPA proposed two new rules: one for existing coal and gas plants, and one for new gas plants. The largest facilities must make the earliest and most substantial carbon emission cuts, while retiring coal plants and peak-demand gas units face more lenient standards. New gas plants must implement the latest emission reduction technologies within a specific timeframe.

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Dominion Energy and Governor Youngkin unite behind corporate profit grab that would bankrupt Virginians and exacerbate climate change

Richmond, VA — Yesterday, Dominion Energy published its latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which outlines a series of methods to meet energy demand in its territory. Dominion recommends making unprecedented capital expenditures that it will pass on directly to customers. Included in the IRP is a push for small modular reactors (SMRs), a new nuclear reactor prototype that costs up to $10 billion each at a nameplate capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity and is currently operational only on one floating barge in Russia. A solar facility costs 3% as much per megawatt of nameplate capacity.

The IRP also imagines eliminating mandatory retirements of coal-fired power plants – a signature piece of Virginia’s plan to move to 100% clean energy – and expanding the use of gas-fired plants. Many case scenarios suggest Dominion abandon the clean energy goals outlined in the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act. All iterations of the IRP assume that Virginia will exit the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative by 2024, despite a lack of legal authority for Virginia to do so without the approval of the legislature.

The changes outlined in Dominion’s IRP would contribute directly to global warming and force Virginia to give up its position as a national leader on climate. Reckless capital expenditures on unproven energy technology and rolling back of climate progress are also key provisions of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s 2022 Energy Plan. He issued a laudatory press release late Monday night, raising the specter of a dangerous new alliance between Dominion and the Governor, who sparred over utility regulation this past legislation session.

Victoria Higgins, the Virginia Director for CCAN, stated:  

“We should recognize this unholy union between multi-millionaire Governor Youngkin and Dominion for what it is: a corporate profit grab that would bankrupt Virginians and exacerbate climate change. The state can meet demand without compromising our clean energy goals or forcing Virginians to choose between energy and food. Suggesting new fracked gas infrastructure in 2023 is patently absurd.”

Dominion Energy, a regulated monopoly, is responsible for its own energy planning and has historically steered towards large capital expenditures that provide the company maximum profit. As of February 2023, Virginians rank 8th in the country for highest energy bills.

Contact:
Victoria Higgins, 201-937-7017,  vhiggins@chesapeakeclimate.org
KC Chartrand, 240-620-7144, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For more than 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

U.S. Forest Service lets Mountain Valley Pipeline rip through Jefferson National Forest – CCAN protests

Richmond, VA — Today, the U.S. Forest Service published its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a proposed 303-mile fracked gas pipeline through Virginia and West Virginia that would contribute the equivalent of 26 coal plants’ worth of carbon emissions. The FSEIS allows MVP to cross 3.5 pristine miles of the Jefferson National Forest and represents the company’s third attempt to receive approval for the controversial crossing. MVP suffered another blow last week when a crucial water permit for construction in West Virginia was thrown out. 

Outcry from impacted communities in Appalachia has been immense. Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) supporters submitted more than 4,000 comments over the last year in opposition to the pipeline during comment periods for numerous permits, including several hundred during the Forest Service comment period. Moreover, construction of large, new fossil fuel projects is incompatible with both national climate goals and global commitments, including President Joe Biden’s pledge to reduce emissions by over 50% by 2030.

Anne Havemann, the General Counsel for CCAN, stated: 

“We are gravely disappointed in the Forest Service’s decision to allow the Mountain Valley Pipeline to rip through the cherished Jefferson National Forest. With this decision, the Forest Service is not fulfilling its mission to ‘sustain the health of the nation’s forests’ so as to ‘meet the needs of present and future generations.’ Present and future generations need a pristine environment and a stable climate, not a fracked-gas pipeline that destroys forests, pollutes waterways, and exacerbates global warming. CCAN is committed to ensuring that no gas ever flows through the Mountain Valley Pipeline.”

In the last several weeks, MVP has had permits both vacated and issued by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Industry analysts are now skeptical of a 2023 in-service date. Federal “permitting reform” to speed fossil fuel project approval is stagnant, and new legal challenges have been mounted against MVP’s recently reissued Biological Opinion by CCAN and partners. 

Contact:
Anne Havemann, 240-630-2146,  anne@chesapeakeclimate.org
KC Chartrand, 240-620-7144, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org

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